What Is Combination Therapy?
Combination therapy, the use of more than one type of therapy in treating a patient, is a hallmark of cancer treatment. The complexity of the disease – its tendency to spread beyond its original site...
View ArticleThe New Frontier: Improving Safety of Outpatient Care At Home
After Lacey Martin’s leukemia didn’t respond to initial rounds of chemotherapy and after she spent 10 weeks hospitalized for a stem cell transplant, the 11-year-old New Hampshire girl went home March 2...
View ArticleWhat Is Adjuvant Therapy?
Adjuvant therapies are treatments that are given after surgery or other frontline therapy to reduce the risk that cancer will come back. Frontline therapy may succeed in removing or eliminating the...
View ArticleA New Approach to Understanding Breast Cancer Treatment Resistance
By Srivani Ravoori, PhD, American Association for Cancer Research This post first appeared on the Cancer Today website. In a study presented Dec. 7 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium,...
View ArticleWhat Should You Look for in an Oncologist? [Infographic]
A cancer diagnosis means making many life-altering decisions, often in a matter of days. These include important choices about what kind of treatment you want and who you want to provide it. An...
View ArticleTips for Preparing for Photopheresis
Photopheresis is a unique medical therapy that involves temporarily removing blood from a patient, mixing the blood with a medication, exposing the blood to ultraviolet (UV) light to activate the drug,...
View ArticleWhat Is Radiation Therapy?
Along with chemotherapy and surgery, radiation therapy is one of the first lines of treatment for many cancers. But unlike other forms of therapy, radiation cannot be seen, felt, or heard during...
View ArticleWho Needs Chemotherapy after Treatment for Early Breast Cancer?
Following surgery and/or radiation for early stage breast cancer, chemotherapy is sometimes given to eliminate remaining cancer cells that could cause trouble later. Traditionally, women have been more...
View ArticleWhat Are the Different Types of Cancer Surgery?
Cancer surgery is used to prevent, diagnose, stage, and treat cancer. It is the oldest type of cancer therapy and generally works best for solid tumors contained in one area. The goals of surgery range...
View ArticleWhat’s New in Radiation Oncology? [Webchat]
At Dana-Farber, radiation oncologists like Dr. David Kozono, MD, PHD work to improve outcomes in cancer through research and deliver quality care to patients through radiation therapy. About two-thirds...
View ArticleAutologous vs. Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplants: What’s the Difference?
A stem cell transplant is a procedure during which doctors either replace diseased or ineffective stem cells with healthy new stem cells or allow high-dose treatment for lymphoma, some testicular...
View ArticleWhat To Know About Precision Cancer Medicine [Infographic]
Precision cancer medicine is an evolving approach to cancer care that personalizes treatment based on each patient’s unique genetic mutations. Since 2011, Dana-Farber has used its Profile research...
View ArticleBreast Reconstruction Following Mastectomy: The Pros and Cons
Many women who undergo a mastectomy, either to treat breast cancer or reduce their risk for the disease, are eligible for reconstructive procedures that restore the shape of the lost breast. The choice...
View ArticleHow Does Radiation Raise the Risk of Other Cancers?
Along with chemotherapy, radiation therapy is a common method for treating cancer; about half of patients receive the therapy, which uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells,...
View ArticleCan a Tumor Biopsy or Surgery Cause Cancer to Spread?
Medically reviewed by Thanh U. Barbie, MD There’s little reason to worry that a biopsy or other surgical procedure will allow cancer cells to escape and spread within the body, specialists say. “A...
View ArticleWho Are the Different Nurses on a Cancer Care Team?
Nurses play a critical role in caring for cancer patients. From administering therapies and managing side effects, to preparing patients and families for what to expect, they are often the providers...
View ArticleCancer Patient Creates ‘Living Art’ for Her Wedding Day
This story originally appeared on Offbeat Bride. By Jordan Kraft “Will you postpone the wedding until after your cancer is gone?” my friend asked the week I was re-diagnosed with lymphoma. My response...
View ArticleWhat Are Precursor Blood Conditions and How Are They Treated?
Precursor conditions are early phases of diseases that may develop into cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, and multiple myeloma. Most people with precursor conditions...
View ArticleNew Options for First-Line Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Most patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) now have several options for first-line therapy, thanks to new clinical trial results and novel targeted agents. Many patients with CLL, a slowly...
View ArticleWhat are Cancer Vaccines?
Cancer vaccines are a form of immunotherapy aimed at enhancing the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells, or to protect against certain forms of cancer caused by viruses. Vaccine...
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